You have not, because you ask not - James 4:2.

#410

GoldenBells

Memory Verse

Prayer

People in the Bible prayed standing, kneeling and even flat on their face. It doesn’t matter how you pray.

Claire’s tips: Closing your eyes is good to help you concentrate. Folding your hands is good to stop them fidgeting. Kneeling down can show that you know God is greater than you and you are praying to worship Him.

The Bible says God answers prayers,

I know that this is true.

We wish He’d always answer ‘Yes’,

But ‘No’ is an answer, too.

I sometimes wonder why my days

Don’t go the way I planned.

But one day, I’ll in heaven be,

And then I’ll understand.

Hello to you all again! Here we are back with #410 to learn all about prayer. Let’s start at the very beginning.

Now that is simple. But there is a little bit more to know before you get started…

Talking to God is not like talking to your friend or brother or sister or even to your mum and dad. You can’t just talk however you like to God – you can’t just say whatever you want to say. Why not? Because God is

Q: What is Prayer?

A: Prayer is talking

to Godnot one of us, He is greater, higher, mightier and completely different. God is God.

In this issue, we are going to find out from God Himself how we should pray. God tells us in the Bible how He wants us to speak and what he wants to hear us say. There is a right way and a wrong way to pray. So let’s start our study just like the disciples who said, ‘Lord teach us to pray’ and we will learn to pray prayers that God is pleased to hear and certain to answer.

ClaireGolden BellsPO Box 1463Sunnybank HillsQLD 4109

ColumnClaire’s

Matthew asks: How should I pray?

Q A

The Bible says God answers prayers,

I know that this is true.

We wish He’d always answer ‘Yes’,

But ‘No’ is an answer, too.

I sometimes wonder why my days

Don’t go the way I planned.

But one day, I’ll in heaven be,

And then I’ll understand.

Prayer #410

You can pray anywhere at all. But remember, prayer is just between two people - you and God. Jesus says it is good to go to a secret place, somewhere where you can be alone to talk with God.

Q A

Questions from

our Readers

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Harry asks: Why does God say

‘no’?

2 About GodGod knows everything and is very wise. He will always give us what is best for us. His answers are perfect, whether they be ‘yes,’ ‘no’ or ‘wait.’

If it doesn’t seem that God is answering your prayer, then stop and think...

About Yourself1Have you done anything to make God sad?Have you disobeyed anything in His word, the Bible?

The Bible tells us to fix these things up before we come and speak to God.

QA

Shannalee asks: Where

should I pray?

Have you forgiven the people who were nasty to you?

Kids Two men. Two prayers.Two answers.Story

There were once 2 men. They lived very near to each other. They went to the same shopping centre to buy their groceries and to the same

doctor when they got sick and needed medicine. They even went to the same Temple (a temple is a bit like a church where people go to pray and wor-ship God). But although they had a lot of things in common, they were actually very different.

The first man was a Pharisee (a Pharisee is a re-ligious leader a little bit like a priest). He went to the temple every single day! He tried to do all sorts of good and right things like giving money to poor people. He was very proud of himself and thought that he was probably one of the best people in the city. He felt sure God was very pleased with Him.

The second man was a Tax Collector (a Tax Col-lector is a person who collects money off people to give to the government). This man didn’t have any friends. Nobody liked him because he was mean and took too much money off them. He even took money off the poorest people. And do you know something terrible… He didn’t give all of the money to the King, He kept some of it for himself!

One day, both men went to the temple to pray. The Pharisee stood up where everybody around could see Him. He looked up towards heaven and said in a very loud voice…

‘God I thank you that I am not like other people – bad, naughty, wicked and sinful. I do not lie. I do not steal. I am very

good and holy. I give money to poor people

and I pray a lot.’

The Pharisee’s prayer didn’t go up to God in heaven. It got no fur-ther than the roof! Actu-ally he was only praying with himself. God did not want to hear him boast about himself es-

Two men. Two prayers.Two answers.

a sinner and needed God’s forgiveness.

The Tax Collector only said a short prayer but it went right up to God in heaven. He knew he was a sinner and needed God’s forgiveness. God heard him and answered his prayer. God forgave his sins just like he asked. God Justified the Tax Collector. (Justified means to be made right with and accepted by God).

When the Pharisee left the temple he was not changed at all. He was exactly the same as before. When the Tax Collector left the temple he was a to-tally different man. Happy and forgiven because God had heard his prayer and changed him.

This is one of the most important prayers in the Bible. God wants to hear every

person in the world pray like the tax col-lector. You must realise that you are a

sinner and ask God to show you mercy. God will hold back the punishment you

deserve for your sins and show you kind-ness instead. He will make you righteous.

This is what being saved really means.

The Tax Collector was over in the corner of the temple on his knees with his head bowed down. He knew he was not al-ways good and he was sorry for his sin. He did not dare to look up into heaven. Instead the Tax Collector was hitting his chest and praying…

‘Lord be merciful to me the sinner’.

LORD BE MERCIFUL TO ME THE SINNER

pecially about how good he thought he was. God was not impressed by his good works. In his long, long prayer, the Pharisee did not real-ize the most important thing of all – that he was

If you are a Christian you should first be interested in God. He must be the most important person in your life. He has become your heav-enly Father and you have a living relationship with Him. You now have interests in things outside of this world. God wants you to pray about His work, His glory and His honour.

Our Father who is in heaven

Hallowed be Thy name

Thy Kingdom Come

Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil

Lord’sThe

Prayer6 Things We

Should Pray For

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Things about us are

second

Hallowed means holy. God is pure and righteous. God is light and in Him is no darkness. He is separate and completelly different to us. In this prayer you are acknowledging this and praying that the whole world will recognise the name of God.

Give us today the food that we need for today. Always depend on God for your food and everything you need. Whether you have lots or just a little bit, realise it came from God. Don’t take it for granted - give Him thanks.

...Study Guide

Christians must take sin very seriously. Sin saddens God and ruins our daily enjoyment of the relationship we have with Him. You must confess your sins regu-larly. In this prayer you are asking God to forgive you in the same way that you forgive people who sin against you. It is only natural for Christians who have known God’s forgive-ness to freely forgive other people.

For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and

ever. Amen.

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Our Father who is in heaven

Hallowed be Thy name

Thy Kingdom Come

Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven

Give us this day our daily bread

And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil

Hallowed means holy. God is pure and righteous. God is light and in Him is no darkness. He is separate and completelly different to us. In this prayer you are acknowledging this and praying that the whole world will recognise the name of God.

The Lord Jesus tells us to pray for the things we need (not the things we want). Some-times we think we need a lot of things from God. Actu-ally, these three requests cover all our basic needs for living.

Things about God

go first

The kingdom of God is the rule and reign of God. By praying this prayer, you are firstly asking God to rule in your heart by being your king and helping you keep His laws. Secondly, you are praying for the whole world and looking forward to a day in the future when every single person will bow to God’s authority, His rule and His reign.

Because Satan is rul-ing, the earth is a place where people rebel against God. In heav-en however, everyone is very busy serving God and doing His will. In this prayer you are ask-ing that what is going on in heaven may also happen here on earth.

Christians must take sin very seriously. Sin saddens God and ruins our daily enjoyment of the relationship we have with Him. You must confess your sins regu-larly. In this prayer you are asking God to forgive you in the same way that you forgive people who sin against you. It is only natural for Christians who have known God’s forgive-ness to freely forgive other people.

Only serious Christians will make this request. Christians who know how dreadful sin is and does not want to displease their Heavenly Father or bring Him sorrow. We have a great enemy called Satan – we are in an evil world and we have a weak sinful nature. There are many things to tempt us and it is easy for us to sin! This request is that God would control your day so that in every situation, you will not be caused to fall.

Jesus says ‘If you for-give people their sins, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not for-give people their sins, neither will your Fa-ther forgive your sins’ (Matt 6v14-15).

For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and

ever. Amen.

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Are you one of God’s children? The listen to this wonderful secret…

The God who made the universe and controls it, who is higher and greater than everything else is your Heavenly Father. When you were saved, God adopted you into His own family and made you His own child. Your Heav-enly Father is alive and real. He knows all about you, is interested in you, loves to hear from you and wants to bless you.

Next time you come to pray, say ‘Our Father who is in heaven…’ don’t rush… close your eyes… realize that you are speaking to God. This is the greatest thing that you can do.

Prayer’s Secret!Your

Heavenly

Father...- - - - - - - -

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*** If you are not saved, then this

secret cannot be yours.

# You do not know God.

# You have no heavenly Father.

# You have no connection with God.

What you have instead is a big barrier that

blocks the way from you to God. The barrier is

your sin. You must have your sins forgiven and

removed before you can know the real secret of

prayer.

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We can talk to God the same way we talk to friendsWe should pray for our own needs first and foremostGod wants us to tell Him how good we areSometimes God says no to our prayersChristians pray to God as their heavenly Father

God answers prayerJesus never prayedGod can hear more than one person praying at a timeGod only hears people when they kneel downSometimes God is too busy to answer prayer

True or False?

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You Will Earn...

If You Scored... 17-1814-16

10-13 0-9 Score:

18

Elijah prayed that it would not rain [James 5:17]It is good to pray in a private place [Matthew 6:5-6]

The Church forgot to pray for Peter while he was in prison [Acts 12:5]

God is more likely to hear you if you repeat yourself over and over again [Matthew 6:7-8]

We are to pray without ceasing [Thess 5:17]

Paul and Timothy prayed in jail [Acts 16:25]Mistreating your wife hinders your prayers [1Pet 3:7]

We should pray for our enemies [Matthew 5:44]

Activities P3

Hannah was sad because she had no children

Hannah prayed to God for a son. She prayed silently with the tears rolling

down her cheeks.

God gave Hannah a son. They called him Samuel.

Hannah took Samuel to live in the temple where he could serve God for

the rest of his life.

About Us

Draw your own pictures to match the story of Hannah

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Hannah’s Prayer

Read the story in 1 Samuel 1

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goldenbellsmag.com.au is a free, online kids Bible teaching magazine and a resources website for religious education teachers.

If you would like to order printed copies of this magazine, please contact us (minimum quantities apply). We also welcome your ongoing feedback.

goldenbellsmag.com.au

mail@goldenbellsmag.com.au

Delays

As of July 2007 it is now our aim to produce Golden Bells approximately bi-monthly (6-8 is-sues per year). We apologise that release dates seem to be a little haphazzard of late. Unfortu-nately, as Golden Bells is produced entirely on volunteer time, we work as time is available.

The Back Page

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1 Thing I Learnt About Prayer...

Prayer Match-UpsDraw a line between the passage, the person and the prayer

Daniel 2:23 Moses Show me Thy glory.

Luke 22:42 Daniel My heart rejoices in the Lord, my horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies because I rejoice in you.

1 Samuel 2:1 Solomon I thank You and praise You O God of my fathers; You have given me wisdom and might.

Exodus 33:17-18 Jesus Not my will but Thine be done.

Matthew 14:29-30 Peter Lord God of Israel, there is no God In heaven or in earth like You.

2 Chron 6:12-14 Hannah Lord save me. 3points

mail@goldenbellsmag.com.au

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